Boy Scouts praised for vote on gay acceptance

Thursday

May 23, 2013 at 10:00 PMMay 23, 2013 at 10:31 PM

By Jacqueline Reis TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

When he cast his vote today to have the Boy Scouts of America accept openly gay boys into their organization, lawyer Bruce E. Hopper of Auburn, a vice president of the Mohegan Council, brought some family history with him.

He wore his Scouting uniform and carried commemorative coins that belonged to his father, a token from when he himself was a Cub Scout and mementos from his children, ages 15 to 21.

He compared it to “a heart-wrenching family discussion,” so when his side won 61 percent of the vote, there wasn't a lot of whooping.

“The hall cleared out immediately,” he said. “I think you had to taper your enthusiasm, just because I think it was upsetting to people.”

But, he noted, “This is a huge day for Scouting, it really is, in a very positive way.”

The organization still bans openly gay leaders, but Mr. Hopper said that as an individual he would like to see that change, too.

The vote, which took place at the Boy Scouts' annual meeting outside Dallas, could have gone either way. Traditionally more liberal parts of the country, such as New England, were in favor of allowing gay boys into Scouting, he said. But there are more Scouts, and therefore more votes, in parts of the country that are usually more conservative.

“So to have a vote like this, it's huge. I mean, it really speaks volumes in a positive way to the future of Scouting,” Mr. Hopper said.

The organization's president was shaking as he held the envelope, Mr. Hopper said.

Mr. Hopper said his vote was motivated by his family, and he recounted what he said Wednesday at a session in Texas.

“A lot of people were saying we have to stick to tradition,” he said, so he told them he would share his family's Scouting tradition.

“My dad was an Eagle Scout. He was a Scoutmaster,” he said. “In the '80s, he eulogized one of his Eagle Scouts that had died of AIDS. Also, where I grew up in the '70s, there was a Klan rally no more than a third of a mile from my house, complete with a cross burning, and both my parents ... their attitude was everyone's welcome at the table, and they acted on that. We always had somebody at our house of different beliefs. ... I think we need to pass this and have another chair at the table.”

“When I talk to my kids and their generation, they don't even understand what the big deal is,” he said.

The discussion was “really respectful,” he said. “I was really amazed at how measured everybody was. ... People were moved to tears on both sides.”

The organization issued a statement following the vote saying that the work leading up to the vote was “the most comprehensive listening exercise in Scouting's history.”

Mr. Hopper is optimistic that councils on the other side of the vote will remain in the organization. “There was strong emphasis on 'We're all in this together,'” he said.

But there was already some opposition today. Nationally, 70 percent of Boy Scout units are chartered by religious institutions, both liberal and conservative.

According to The Associated Press, the conservative Assemblies of God said the policy “will lead to a mass exodus from the Boy Scout program.”

Meanwhile, others are vowing to continue the fight for openly gay Scout leaders. Jennifer Tyrrell, who was ousted as a Cub Scout leader in Ohio because she is a lesbian, told The Associated Press, “I'm so proud of how far we've come, but until there's a place for everyone in Scouting, my work will continue.”

The policy to admit openly gay boys takes effect Jan. 1.

Mr. Hopper said he is glad more boys will be welcomed into Scouting, which he said teaches leadership skills, challenges boys, gives them new experiences, introduces them to people they otherwise wouldn't meet, and, of course, gets them building campfires and tying knots.